Stranger Things Finale Leaves Fans Wanting More

Ten years on from its debut, Stranger Things has finally drawn to a close. Having spent nearly a week reflecting on the much-anticipated two-hour finale, I find myself grappling with a sense of disappointment. The conclusion, which I’d hoped would tie up loose ends, instead left me and many others adrift, our most pressing questions still hanging in the air. I was sixteen when the first series landed on Netflix in 2016, and I’ve followed every twist and turn since. Back then, nothing else on television quite matched its blend of ‘80s nostalgia, unlikely friendships, and supernatural peril. The Duffer brothers seemed to have struck upon something truly special, weaving in Dungeons & Dragons lore and nods to cult classics like The Goonies. The following series kept me hooked, even if there were the odd missteps—season two’s ‘Lost Sister’ arc springs to mind. Yet, the fourth outing was a return to form, packed with action and suspense. It’s the fifth series, though, where things start to unravel, culminating in a finale that, for me, simply didn’t deliver.

That’s not to say the entire season was a write-off. There were moments that stood out, particularly the mid-season climax where Will confronts Vecna and discovers his own powers. This twist upended expectations, sparking speculation about whether Will might ultimately defeat Vecna or follow a darker path, echoing Henry Creel’s fate. Volume one fuelled a flurry of fan theories—was Vecna building a time machine with the twelve children, or could Ted Wheeler be the architect of the Upside Down? But as volume two unfolded, the pace dragged, and I began to wonder how the show could possibly resolve everything in a single, two-hour episode. When the final instalment arrived on New Year’s Eve 2025, the long-awaited showdown was over in less than twenty minutes. Eleven and Will managed to overpower Vecna, Joyce dispatched him with an axe, and that was that.

“Is that it?”

I thought, as the moment I’d anticipated for years vanished in a blink. No one in the group was seriously hurt, and the escape from the Abyss was oddly straightforward. Even Eleven’s apparent sacrifice felt ambiguous—she may not be gone after all. Without any real sense of jeopardy, the victory rang hollow. The final confrontation, which should have dominated the episode, was instead a brief skirmish, lacking the depth and perspective it deserved. The Mind Flayer, too, was dispatched with surprising ease, and the absence of Demogorgons and Demodogs in their own domain seemed a glaring oversight.

Unanswered Questions and Rushed Resolutions

Beyond the underwhelming battle, the finale left a raft of mysteries unresolved. Vecna’s ultimate scheme remained murky—why the fixation on twelve children, and why was he so ill-prepared for the group’s assault, given his connection to Will? The thread of what Vecna and the Mind Flayer intended for Will seemed to be dropped entirely. If Will could sense everything Vecna experienced, why did he emerge unscathed? Other inconsistencies felt like lapses in writing: Will and Vecna sharing a birthday with no explanation, Hopper and Joyce never acknowledging their shared history with Henry Creel, and Will reminiscing about milkshakes at Melvads, which is, in fact, a hardware shop. The ease with which Hopper and Nancy resumed their lives after the destruction of the Upside Down, despite their involvement in violent confrontations, also stretched credulity—surely the authorities would still be on their trail?

In the immediate aftermath, the Duffer brothers gave a series of interviews, suggesting that many unresolved plot points were settled off-screen, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions. Ross Duffer described Eleven’s fate as “ambiguous,” a choice that has only fuelled online speculation, with some fans convinced the finale was a ruse and a ‘real’ ending is yet to come. Personally, I’d have preferred the writers to address these gaps within the show itself, rather than in post-finale interviews. Still, after investing so much time and energy, I’m reluctant to dwell on the show’s shortcomings.

Bittersweet Farewell to Hawkins

Despite its flaws, the final series retained a certain charm, outshining much of what’s currently available to stream. Perhaps the most satisfying moment was seeing Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin reunited at the end, echoing their very first scene together. Before the monsters and the mayhem, it was always the camaraderie of these outsiders that drew me in. Maybe, in the end, the point wasn’t the climactic battle or the wild theories, but simply saying goodbye to characters who’ve become old friends. Rather than getting lost in conspiracy theories or fixating on what might have been, I’m choosing to remember the series for the unpredictable, funny, and at times chaotic journey it’s taken me on over the past decade.